But the old system ruled by fear, not by legitimate power. So Brenok could easily have not become a dissident because of fear for his life (before they were killed) that of his family.

Did you get that impression? That Brenok was a scared man, who would follow any order our of fear? Did he join the military to pretend he was loyal so that he and his family would be safe in the system?

And they won't rule by fear.

I didn't think about it earlier, but in my country's history there was a coup, which brought dictatorship, but by no means a totalitarian rule of cruelty and fear.

Oh, I definitely think he had to be afraid. But I don't think of fear the same way I think you are.

He certainly had to hide his true nature when he realized that aliens weren't inferiors. He knew that he would be executed for doing the right thing and saving those girls and women on the colony world. You bet he was scared then, and he would have to remain afraid of what would happen if the Obsidian Order ever discovered his secret, or anything else--even a small thing--that they didn't think was "Cardassian enough."

He wasn't a coward--he DID act. Fear doesn't make a person a coward, in my opinion...the name for a person who isn't afraid isn't "coward," it's "idiot." And a brave person is one who does what they have to do even though they are afraid. Brenok wasn't a coward or an idiot. But I do think he had to fear exposure for who and what he really was, and had to hide that lest it backfire on him or his family. Jarol helped protect him, so I think that gave him less reason to fear, over time.

But I do think that fear is a legitimate and rational response when you live in a place where you're threatened just for being a decent person.

Nerys Dukat wrote:

Would you believe that she has a team of civilian advisers, and she made it a point to have at least two of each non-Cardassian race, including humans from former Federation colonies?

That would be helpful. Of course, I think they could easily devolve into figureheads once Jarol herself, and the others, are gone. What prevents that?

No one can assure that next ones would be better or as good (if current ones are good). What would prevent Ghemor's successor from changing Ghemor's reforms or twisting his style of ruling Cardassia? No one can give such guarantees.

I can certainly think of a country or two where that happened. Still, if set up correctly, a democratic system does offer protections against those sorts of things happening. What makes the difference between the countries where it went bad, and the countries where it has been successful is that you have to think of the rules as something outside of yourself, not something you can bend to your will. In other words, if you're the ruler, you are not at the top of the hierarchy; you answer to the law too.